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The Friendship Lodge was formed under the Grand Lodge of England Ltd on 1st September 2001 and was allocted Lodge Number 2488.

We have always been a small Lodge finding, like many other Lodges, difficulty in recruiting new members.

We were always aware that we wanted to be part of the community and conducted our business accordingly. During our 10+ years under GLE Ltd three separate Lodge members have been Town Mayor of our home town of Horwich. During one particular year, one of our members was the volunteer chauffeur of the Horwich Town Mayor.

One of our members has been Chairman of Horwich Carnival Committee for many years and other Lodge members have also served on that committee in different positions. The Lodge always has a charity stall on site duing the Carnival weekend.

Another Lodge member is a leading light in the Horwich Heritage Centre. The centre which gives displays and lectures on the history of Horwich and surrounding areas.

The Horwich branch of the Royal British Legion sadly closed down a few years ago. But with the help of a few Lodge members it was reformed and is now steadily growing again.

During our time under GLE Ltd we have provided two Grand Lodge Officers and it was a proud moment for all Lodge members when they were elected.

On top of all this we think that our finest achievement, by far, is our fundraising.Since September 2001 we have raised over £40,000, the majority of which has gone to local charities and good causes. We think this is a fantastic effort considering how small we are in number and we most certainly intend to continue our fundraising efforts as long as we possibly can.

The Lodge always takes part in the annual Remembrance Day Parade and is always joined by other Buffs from many different parts of the country.On behalf of the Order of Buffalos we always lay wreaths at the War Memorial and some of our guest Buffs are invited to do the laying honour.

Members of the Lodge and visitors on Armistice Sunday 13/11/11

Horwich Buffs in 1948

We are the "Royal Antedeluvian Order of the Buffaloes"

but we were not always called that...

Originally, we were “the Buffaloes” with no “Royal” or “Antediluvian” ornaments. When we were founded nearly 200 years ago, we got out initital title from a popular song of the age called ‘We’ll chase the Buffalo "

The addition of “Loyal” came very quickly, because in the early 19th century, secret societies were looked upon as potentially dangerous and subversive. In order to show to the authorities that the Buffaloes were not subversive to the interest of the state, the Order decided to describe itself as the Loyal Order of Buffaloes. It only needs a slip of the tongue for 'loyal' to become 'royal' and in a very short time Joe Public accepted that the Order was indeed Royal.

When the Buffalo were founded, the French Revolution and the Terror were little more than a quarter of a century old. By the time the first Constitution of the Grand Primo Lodge of England was drawn up in 1866, the term “Royal” had been adopted. Actually, a Royal Charter has never been issued to the Buffaloes.

The introduction of the Royal Warrant Act, in the early 1900's, required anyone using the 'Royal' prefix to register with the Lord Chancellors Office and to stop using the title if permission to continue doing so was not granted. Since the Buffaloes had been using the title from the 1840?s the Lord Chancellor agreed that no objection would be raised on the our continued use of the title on the grounds of long usage, provided no act by the Order arose which would disgrace its use.

Antedeluvian means: "Before the time of the flood" refering to the biblical time of the flood. The adoption of “Antediluvian” is also reported to have come into general use in the 1850s. We must remember that the bulk of our members at that time were involved in one of the theatre professions, and skilled orators would have written their own ceremonies, often designed to impress the unenlightened with the great antiquity of the Order. Similarities were deduced to the rights of bull worship at the time of the Pharaohs in ancient Egypt. The Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, and other nations of Christendom, Peter the Hermit and the Saracenic wars were also quoted. The desires of mankind to relieve the poverty of ones fellow have been around since the earliest ages, and if that is not antediluvian, what is? Certainly the word has a better ring to it than 'ancient'. So! Antediluvian we became!